The Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) has raised alarm over the escalating cost of contesting presidential elections, warning that democracy risks being captured by the wealthy elite.

At an Open Society forum in Accra, the think tank’s Executive Director, Professor H. Kwasi Prempeh, revealed that it now requires an estimated $200 million to mount a successful presidential campaign in Ghana.

He argued that such financial demands make it nearly impossible for capable but less resourced leaders to compete.

“You now need about $200 million to win a presidential contest. How many of you can ever realistically be in that category? Even at the parliamentary and primary levels, the barriers are already far too high for many,” Prof Prempeh observed.

He cautioned that if politics becomes the exclusive domain of the wealthy and well-connected, Ghana’s democratic and developmental aspirations would be severely undermined.

“We cannot have that kind of democracy and expect it to be developmental. That is why campaign financing and regulation of internal party democracy must become urgent national priorities,” he emphasised.